All-America Selections (AAS) Garden

Botanical interest: The AAS Garden features premier garden annuals from the All-America Selections program. The AAS program promotes new garden seed varieties with superior garden performance judged in impartial trials in North America. Founded in 1933, over 700 plants have been introduced through this program. The AAS Garden at the Gardens features latest and past years’ introductions, which includes annual bedding plants and vegetables.
Don’t miss: In 2009, Denver Botanic Gardens is part of the AAS’s American Garden Award competition where visitors, patrons and gardeners get an opportunity to cast their vote for their favorite flower in a competition. Signage in the AAS Garden will prompt visitors through the voting process.

Anna's Overlook

Botanical interest: The pyramid's slopes feature buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides) and blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), native grasses that thrive on less water than traditional Kentucky bluegrass. On the east side are additional water-wise plants, including ice plant (Delosperma), a colorful and popular succulent ground cover.
Don’t miss: Anna’s Overlook is a contemplative place to view the landscape in several directions. Its gently sloping sides create a visual contrast with the sunken space of the Amphitheater nearby.

Birds and Bees Walk

Botanical interest: This is a pollinator garden showcasing plant reproduction and pollination.
Especially for kids: Organized as a living storybook along a woodland path that teaches visitors about pollination. The garden is known to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
It's a fact: These trees, shrubs and plants were selected because of their ability to attract birds, pollinators and other fauna.

Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory

Botanical interest: The Boettcher Memorial Conservatory is one of the most unique and compelling displays of tropical plants featuring thousands of exotic specimens from the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. Various food plants add special interest, including bananas (Musa spp.), chocolate (Theobroma cacao) and coffee (Coffea arabica).
Especially for kids: Our two-story model of a banyan tree gives visitors an aerial view of the tropical forest.
It’s a fact: The tropical rainforests of the world inhabit less than 6% of total land cover but account for over 50% of the world’s plant and animal species.

Children's Secret Path

Botanical interest: Children are encouraged to interact with plants, including smelling fragrant chives (Allium schoenoprasum), touching lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina) and soft artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Silver Mound’), and listening to the wind rustle the leaves.
Especially for kids: Get your hands dirty in the soil station! Let your imagination run wild during Story Time! Play the giant amadinda and the alligator drum in the Musical Playscape!
It's a fact: The alligator drum and giant amadinda are musical instruments made from plants.

The Cloud Forest Tree

Botanical interest: Giant “living sculpture” tree made of steel, foam and plastic which supports hundreds of blooming orchids.
Especially for kids: Learn about the cloud forest habitat and orchids from the interactive touch-screen kiosk at the entrance to the Cloud Forest Tree.
It's a fact: The term 'cloud forest' refers to high, moist tropical areas in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.

Community Gardens

Especially for gardeners: The Community Gardens provide urban garden space for residents of the Denver community. Gardeners come together to share their knowledge of organic gardening while creating community and beautifying their neighborhood. Creating compost, attending garden workdays, donating vegetables and hosting community social events are just a few of the gardeners' efforts. Information about the 2009 community garden program will be posted shortly.

Cutting Garden

Botanical interest: Annuals, perennials, bulbs, shrubs and ornamental grasses particularly well suited for dried or fresh floral arrangements. This garden will be moving in the summer of 2009.

Drop-Dead Red Border

Botanical interest: Red hued plants and flowers.
It's a fact: Inspired by the monochromatic gardens at Sissinghurst Castle Garden, Kent, England.

Dryland Mesa

Botanical interest: Cacti, yuccas and other xeric plants, including many trees and shrubs.
It's a fact: Dryland Mesa serves as a test site for many uncommon southwestern plants.
Especially for gardeners: This garden receives no supplementary watering except during extreme drought.

El Pomar Waterway

Botanical interest: The bottlebrush-like flowers of the Oriental fountain grass (Pennisetum orientale ‘Karley Rose’) line the full length of the reflective pool, while vertical beech trees (Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck’) and blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) softens the border along the south wall.
Don’t miss: This dreamlike garden space features extensive hardscape in the form of walls, a brick walkway and a long reflecting pool culminating in a cool, transparent waterfall.

Endangered Species

Botanical interest: Rare and endangered plants from Colorado's West Slope.
It's a fact: Denver Botanic Gardens is a proud participant in the Center for Plant Conservation, contributing to restoration and seed banking efforts.

Flytrap Feast

Botanical interest: Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) and pitcher plants (Sarracenia spp.).
It's a fact: Flytraps are native to bogs in the Carolinas.
Especially for kids: Bug eating plants!

Gates Montane Garden

Botanical interest: The garden features trees and shrubs from Colorado’s montane life zone including Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) and aspen (Populus tremuloides).
It's a fact: The montane life zone is Colorado's wooded ecosystem found at altitudes from 8,000 to 10,000 feet.

GreenCO Mile High Garden

Botanical interest: This garden was an innovative, water-smart demonstration garden that educated the public on sustainable gardening practices for our semi-arid region. This garden was disassembled in 2008 to prepare for the new Bonfils-Stanton Visitor Center.
For gardeners: Looking for xeriscaping ideas? View our inspired selection of water-efficient plants and flowers in the Water-Smart Garden.

Herb Garden

Botanical interest: Herbs in over 150 varieties grow in this intimate garden.
For the gardener: Staff and volunteers are sometimes there to answer your questions about growing herbs. A variety of classes about herbs are offered as well.
It's a fact: This garden was inspired by the monks of the Middle Ages who grew plants in segregated plots and jealously guarded their secrets.

Japanese Garden (Shofu-en -- the Garden of Wind and Pines)

Botanical interest: Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) from Roosevelt National Forest (pine signify longevity and happiness in Japanese gardens).
It's a fact: The authentic teahouse was shipped across the Pacific from Japan and reassembled by skilled Japanese artisans.

June's PlantAsia

Botanical interest: June's PlantAsia features eastern Asian plants such as peonies, bamboos, wild herbs, Japanese umbrella pines (Sciadopitys verticillata), wild plants collected in Pakistan, voodoo lilies (Typhonium venosum) and experimental cultivars of plants. A lush woodland area displays Himalayan and lacebark pines (Pinus wallichiana, Pinus bungeana) and over a dozen kinds of Asian maple.
It's a fact: More than 8,000 exotic and fragrant plants from various Asian countries in a one-acre display.

Kitchen Garden

Botanical interest: Artistic garden design and agriculture combine for a culinary masterpiece of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers in the Kitchen Garden.
It's a fact: This garden boasts cultivars of pink, white, green and even striped eggplants in late summer!

Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden

Botanical interest: Prairie grasses and wildflowers. In early summer, wild flax (Linum lewisii) presents its airy blue flowers. Prairie penstemons include Penstemon angustifolius (blue), P. ambiguus (pink), P. secundiflorus (pink) and P. virens (purple). These penstemons have small tubular flowers arranged in vertical spires.
It's a fact: The landscape design intentionally tricks the visitor’s eye, making this garden seem to extend farther than it really does, just as the horizon line on the open prairie is often deceiving. The garden undergoes a prescribed burn every 3-4 years to simulate natural ecosystem processes.

Lilac Garden

Botanical interest: A collection of almost 80 different varieties of lilacs (genus Syringa), over 200 cultivars of iris and over 150 cultivars of daylilies, creates a tapestry of color from early spring through mid summer. Daffodils representing the 13 divisions also bloom on the hillsides in early to mid spring.
It's a fact: Early European settlers brought with them some of their favorite flowers to the New World. Among them were lilacs, originally from Asia.

May Bonfils-Stanton Memorial Rose Garden

Botanical interest: About 175 different varieties of roses and other heirloom flowers including Clematis and Delphinium.
It's a fact: Designed in 1982, the garden’s various levels, entrances and sight lines provide opportunities to view the plants and flowers from various vantage points.

Monet Garden

Botanical interest: A breathtaking collection of bulbs, annuals and perennials inspired by the French impressionist painter.
Don't miss: The waterlily pool.

Rock Alpine Garden

Botanical interest: Home to over 2,300 species of plants, this internationally acclaimed garden is a premier example of the art of rock gardening.
Fun facts: Rock Alpine Garden uses more than 500 tons of rock providing habitats similar to more than a dozen different environments based on slope, soil type, moisture and exposure.

Oak Grove

Botanical interest: For many people, the oak is the quintessential tree. Oak trees are large, long-lived, disease-resistant and beautiful. In this naturalistic woodland setting, you’ll find many species and hybrid oaks.
Especially for gardeners: Though oaks are uncommon in Colorado, these varieties grow well in our climate and are good choices for gardeners in this region. Denver Botanic Gardens has made a commitment to conserving the germplasm of this very large and important genus by joining the multi-institutional Quercus (Oak) Collection Consortium of the North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC).

O'Fallon Perennial Walk

Don’t miss: A superb place to begin a leisurely stroll through the Gardens, the Perennial Walk is a traditional version of a European perennial border lush with flowers packed closely together to create a rich and interesting array of colors, heights, shapes and textures.
Especially for gardeners: Take note of new and interesting design techniques and plant ideas for home gardens. The observant visitor will see several water-smart plants woven effectively into the tapestry of plants along this walkway.

Ornamental Grasses Garden

Botanical interest: Over 50 varieties of ornamental grasses are growing in this garden.
It’s a fact: From the dinosaur era (which ended 65 million years ago) to as recently as a century ago, Denver was almost entirely grass, shrubs and perennials. This garden gives us a glimpse of the great variety of sizes, textures and colors that occur among the grasses.
Especially for gardeners: Grasses make a wonderful complement to the home garden, adding year-round texture, color and sound.

Romantic Gardens

Botanical interest: A collection of four gardens is a delightful adventure for the senses.
Don't miss: The aromatic plants and plum trees of the Fragrance Garden and the lavish floral display of annual, perennials and overflowing containers in the sheltering pavilions of the Schlessman Plaza.

Sacred Earth

Botanical interest: Plants used by American Indians of the Four Corners region.

Sensory Garden/Morrison Center

Don’t miss: The Sensory Garden is a public demonstration garden, where visitors can participate in horticultural therapy or learn about gardening in containers and small spaces at home. Here you will find a garden that offers not only beauty, but also a model for accessible landscape design and "healing gardens" at nursing homes, hospitals, prisons and other facilities.
Botanical interest: This relaxing therapeutic garden appeals to all five senses. You will find colorful displays of flowers throughout the season, along with plants that please your nose, rustle in the breeze, or tickle your skin with interesting textures. You can even snack on a cherry tomato or sample a sprig of mint.
Especially for gardeners: Look for examples of how to garden with minimal bending, stooping or kneeling; wide pathways for wheelchair accessibility; raised beds and container gardens.
Admission, hours and tours: Sensory tours are free of charge for groups with special needs, or in therapy or rehabilitation programs, and are available from June through Sept. on Wednesdays and Fridays. Please call 720-865-3539 to schedule a tour in advance.
Parking: Parking for visitors with mobility impairments is just east of the building. Enter from 11th Avenue between York and Josephine Streets.

Scripture Garden

Botanical interest: This secluded and peaceful garden features plants referenced in ancient religious texts.

Shady Lane

Botanical interest: Shady Lane comes alive with the blooms of more than fifteen varieties of crabapples in the spring.
Especially for gardeners: In the beds beneath the trees a variety of shade plants offer inspiration to homeowners looking for ideas for their shady spots where competitive tree roots create challenging growing conditions.

South African Plaza

Botanical interest: Plants and flowers of South Africa including calla lilies, Agapanthus, Delosperma, red hot pokers, asparagus fern and geraniums.
It's a fact: Many South African plants thrive in Colorado.

Victorian Secret Garden

Botanical interest: This garden pays homage to the golden age of plant exploration in the late 1800s in Europe, when it was fashionable to create opulent tropical gardens to show off personal wealth and exotic plant collections.
It's a fact: While tropical plants don't fare well in Colorado's semi-arid, temperate climate, the Victorian Secret Garden has been carefully designed with annuals and perennials that look and feel like tropical plants but that can survive Colorado's hot, dry summers and cold winters.

Water-Smart Garden

Botanical interest: Plants from semi-arid climate of the West and other areas of the world that have a similar climate to Colorado’s, including the Mediterranean, South Africa, South America and Central Asia.

Water Gardens

Don't miss: An extensive waterway system, which meanders throughout the Gardens has become home to an aquatic collection of more than 450 species and varieties. Though located in a semi-arid climate, the Gardens has become one of the world's leaders in aquatic gardening and display of aquatic plants.

Western Panoramas

Botanical interest: Western Panoramas displays dominant tree species from three of our Colorado life zones: plains, foothills and subalpine.

Bristlecone Border

Botanical interest: Rocky Mountain bristlecone pines (Pinus aristata) from the subalpine life zone (10,000-11,500 ft). In their natural environment, stands of bristlecone pines can be found at timberline in windy, exposed areas.
It’s a fact: Bristlecone pine wood is often gnarled and stunted due to the high winds found at timberline. At the Gardens, the environment is not nearly as harsh. Our bristlecone pines have grown in a somewhat more conventional form, though they still exhibit a dynamic, crooked growth habit.

Cottonwood Border

Botanical interest: Cottonwoods (Populus deltoides ssp. monilifera) from the plains life zone (3,500-6,000 ft). Of the few trees species found on the plains, these broad-leafed trees are the largest.
It’s a fact: In their natural habitat, cottonwoods are found along the banks of rivers and streams. Cottonwood trees take their common name from the cotton-like seeds that can often be seen floating through the air in the spring.

Ponderosa Border

Botanical interest: Ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) from the foothills life zone (6,000-8,000 ft.). The main path of this garden is lined with young native species and cultivars of the ponderosa pine. Ponderosa pines have a longer needle than any other native conifer in the region. Their needles are four to seven inches in length and grow in bunches of two or three.
Especially for gardeners: This garden is designed with a mix of prairie and foothills grasses and wildflowers to showcase how many of these native plants can be used in the home landscape.

Wildflower Treasures

Botanical interest: Native Colorado wildflowers including rare and endangered species that represent the native flora of many Colorado counties.
Don't miss: Each container trough is dedicated to a different mountain, plateau or region incorporating rocks from that particular region in each exhibit.

Woodland Mosaic

Botanical interest: Woodland trees, shrubs and perennials.
Especially for gardeners: Get ideas for growing low maintenance plants and flowers in your shady spots.

Yuccarama

Botanical interest: Yucca and members of the agave family.
Especially for gardeners: These woody relatives of lilies are an excellent choice for water-smart landscaping.